Healing happens when we’re in an empowered state of being. Whether we’re talking to ourselves in our own healing journey or whether we’re supporting others with their care, what we say matters since words are a powerful influence over our body, mind, & spirit! Read on or watch the video below to learn which words we need to hear to make healing possible and powerful. I’ll also share the words we should avoid! Once you bring more consciousness to your speech, and the intentions & beliefs behind it, you’ll wield more power in healing!

Inspiration For This Subject On Mindful Speech

This topic is inspired by the story I shared on YouTube with you a couple of weeks ago about my friend and patient who was recovering from Covid-19 in the hospital. What I didn’t share about that story was that she had just had a baby (who she hadn’t seen or held yet) and was recovering from a C-section. The reason I didn’t share was that I wanted to just highlight her recovery from Covid and all the progress that she had been making. I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. Many moms could put themselves in her position and feel despair.

I was also careful with the language I was using with this patient because she was still in the hospital when I was making the video this was still very much she was still in the middle of this healing journey. I wanted to stay positive, hopeful, and encouraging to help her through this process.  Now that she is well on the other side, and she and her baby are doing awesome, I wanted to share a little bit more here about this mindful speech because I think it was key in supporting her.

Reasons To Choose Your Words Wisely

I’ve talked about mindful speech before in a parenting article about Nonviolent Communication. But here I want to emphasize the importance of it with regard to healing. Words matter in the healing process, no matter if we’re supporting ourselves or others.

Our bodies believe everything we say!

I learned this when I was in massage school a long time ago. I remember our teacher telling us that we needed to be very careful about how we were talking to our clients when they were on the table, especially when we were touching their bodies. If we found an area that was tense and needed more work, she asked us to say something like:

“This area needs more support”

or

“I see that this area is really opening up!”

We were instructed to talk about the progress of healing.

We were conscious of not saying:

“This this feels really bad”

or

“Wow you’re you’re really broken”

I would even refuse to agree with people talking about their “bad back”, that it was something they’d always have to deal with. I’d try to correct that by letting them know that their body was speaking to them and that the pain was evidence of the seriousness of the message! If we listen to the message and not berate it, healing is possible.

Since then I’ve been conscious of helping clients feel stronger and empowered. That is the state of being that I want to shift them into.

These days, I take this even more seriously and go in much more depth. I believe we can pick up on each other’s intentions. We can pick up on thoughts and feelings from each other too. So it’s not even just what we say but the thoughts and beliefs beyond those words that matter. We really need to be shifting this within ourselves.

Words That Heal

This is what I think people need to hear in order to feel more healthy, strong, and hopeful:

They need to know that…

• healing is possible
• the body does miraculous things every second of every day
• illness is a temporary setback
• this is an opportunity to make more positive changes in their life that their life will be even more amazing on the other side of the healing journey
• they loved and supported by their friends and family
• they are loved and supported by their ancestors
• their healing journey is actually healing this whole family line
• they have support from beyond as well from spirit

When working with clients, I actually go beyond the words to the beliefs and energetic power that I’m holding for them. I see them in this empowered state, sitting up strong and vibrant, and full of joyful light. I hold that vision for them and that is what I’m speaking from.

What makes this powerful is that I believe everything i am telling them and I hold that vision until they can see it themselves. Hopefully this also changes their beliefs about their situation and how they’re talking to themselves.

Unhelpful Words That Can Impede Healing

It’s my opinion that there are some things you definitely should not say.

Of course we don’t want to say, “oh that’s really bad, that’s really terrible” or a variation on that phrase. It definitely does not lift people up and it can magnify the despair.

Nor do we want to say something like “oh if only you did so and so to prevent it”. This is not the time to bring up things they could have done differently that makes them sit in guilt, shame, and regret which are extremely low vibration states. When they are completely recovered, then they can investigate the changes could be made in their lifestyle to prevent it (if there’s a chance of this recurring).

I am also careful to not pity the person and say “you poor thing…”, which can keep them in victim-mentality. And this brings me to the phrase I refuse to say which you may disagree with:

“I’m sorry…”

To me, “I’m sorry” is a variation of “you poor thing”. And it implies that I have some responsibility for how the person is feeling too. If that’s true, I definitely do not want the responsibility of keeping them feeling weak and powerless!

I think we need to be careful with the language and really investigate what these phrases mean. We can be more clear with our intention too. If you don’t feel sorry for someone then don’t say “I’m sorry”, just because it’s automatic. Thing of more helpful words instead . We can still acknowledge that a situation is serious while also being positive and encouraging at the same time.

I truly believe that that’s possible!

Find Practitioners Who Speak This Way To You!

As a side note, I hope you see how important it is to have health practitioners who empower you with their words. In that video about Covid recovery, I shared that my friend’s doctor said a few things that were not at helpful! I’m glad she shared this with me, because it made me be even more mindful of how I was speaking to her. The doctor actually told her she had a 50:50 chance of living or dying! Of course this made her panic (which doesn’t help when you have a respiratory illness that prevents deep breathing!)

I highly suggest you look for practitioners who speak to you with positive language. Look for practitioners who like to build you up and don’t make you feel bad about your choices, while at the same time offering you different ways to do things in the future. Find practitioner who will meet you where you’re at with loving kindness.

I hope that this gave you a lot to think about! Let me know what you think in the comments below! Please share if you have some words of encouragement that helped you on your healing journey or have helped others. Well wishes to you…

One of the intentional shifts you can make, if you are desiring change in your life, it to follow the cycles of the moon and adjust your activity to it. Why does paying attention to the moon phases make such a difference? And how exactly can we make this shift? Continue reading and watch the video below to learn how living by the moon can make your life truly magical.

Cyclical Energy Of Women And Men

I’ve written many times about how humans are microcosms of nature, but it bears repeating. Usually we’re talking about how to align with the energy of the seasons which cycle throughout the year. But there are smaller cycles we align with as well, such as the day/night cycle of the sun and the cycles of the moon.

Men and their Yang, active nature tend to be more affected by the sun and can reset their energy in a 24 hour cycle. However, women, perhaps because of their Yin nature and more complex hormones, align more with the 28 day cycle of the moon. So paying attention to the phases of the moon is especially important for women to consider.

The Energy Of The Moon Phases

We know the moon has tremendous influence over the ocean tides, so of course it influences the human body. And the energy can affect not only our bodies, but also our emotions and behavior.

We can look at the phases of the Moon from the perspective of Yin and Yang energy. The Moon itself is relatively Yin, emotional, and feminine compared to the Sun. However within the Moon we have different Yin/Yang energy patterns too.

Waxing From New To The Full Moon

As the moon is waxing and building, the activity is considered more Yang. At the Full Moon, we experience the full expression of this energy. It can be very emotional and chaotic, feeling like we’re going to burst. I’ve noticed in my practice that many patients have a harder time sleeping close to a Full Moon.

Waning From Full To The New Moon

Naturally, we feel a strong release at the peak of the Full Moon which is more of a Yin activity – letting go. It can be a more relaxing period if we allow ourselves to go with the flow and not cling to staying the same. We move toward the emptiness of the New Moon. And at that point, we pivot again. The emptiness represents pure potential that can spur new ideas and creations that motivate us to act again.

How To Align Your Activity With The Phases Of The Moon

If all of this makes sense to you, then I recommend you try living by the moon, which will bring more intentionality and purpose to your life. It can also help you stick with commitments and to evaluate how things are working out, month-to-month.

The Full Moon and the waning period after it is a great time to:

• Finish up projects, tie up “loose ends”
• Notice how abundant your life is and if there’s anything overwhelming your life that may be blocking the flow of more health, wealth, and happiness
• Commit to releasing unhelpful habits, time-suck activities, set boundaries with people & let go of shallow or hurtful relationships
• Detox & cleanse your living space (ditch toxic home products, processed foods, clutter, clean your car, donate clothes you don’t wear)

The New Moon and the waxing period after it is a great time to:

• Dream about a better future and take actionable steps to attain it (monthly or 90 day plan)
• Start new projects and endeavors
• Visit friends and network with business connections
• Develop your intuition and seek spiritual connection (nourish your heart, mind, and spirit)
• Make beautiful additions to your home and wardrobe
• Have a party
• Plan a vacation

Having a mindfulness practice such as Yoga, meditation, walking in nature (without a device), or journaling can be very helpful anytime of the month to help you see how well you’re aligning.

Consider joining my Full Moon Yoga classes online each month through the rest of the year (ending Dec. 2021). We do a gentle Yoga asana practice with a balanced Yin/Yang approach and end with a group energy healing session to help clear your system.

I tend to follow the phases of the moon with home life, creative projects, business endeavors, and my relationships with friends & family. When it comes to my body, I tend to follow the wisdom of my menstrual cycle instead. For some lucky women, both the moon and their menses sync up with the Full or New Moon. But this is not the case for most women.

I may do a separate video & blog post on aligning with your menstrual cycle. Just know that the concept is pretty much the same, considering when you’re feeling more Yin & Yang energy and adjusting accordingly.

Do you have any new ideas of how you can adjust your life to the moon cycle? I highly suggest you try them out now! You may have more success than if you were trying to force situations without considering whether the time was “right”. I’d love to hear about how this works for you, in the comments below. Well wishes…

Have you heard that you need to “raise your vibration”, but don’t know exactly what that means? In the healing arts, we teach how to align internally so that our outer experiences match what we desire (whether that be health, wealth, happiness, etc.). In this post, I’ll be sharing exactly how you can raise your vibrational frequency and improve your life overall.

What Is Vibrational Frequency?

Everything in the world is made up of life force energy. Every person, fish, rock, chair, etc. is able to receive energy from the environment, store it, and emit it back into the world. This energy consists of oscillating atoms that vibrate at a unique frequency, measured in Hertz (Hz).

Human emotions vibrate at particular frequencies (see the chart below), which can flavor our life experiences. But more importantly, communities of people have collective frequencies that impact the world strongly.

If you’re new to this subject, an easy way to understand it is by looking at the chart below. On the bottom are the lower frequencies of shame and guilt which make us feel contracted and small. And as we travel up the funnel, we feel more expansive as we tap into higher frequencies of peace and enlightenment.

I personally don’t like focusing on the actual frequency numbers, but instead like to think about each emotion as having a certain level of awareness which leads us to relate to ourselves and others in a particular way. This is how we think of it in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, and Reiki with our dan tiens or chakra energy centers. As we open them up and take responsibility from the choices we make in life, we reach a more evolved or enlightened state.

What Does It Mean To Raise Your Vibration?

It’s obvious looking at the charts why one would like to “raise their vibration”.

• Do you want to live a small existence where you feel like you have zero control?
• Wouldn’t you rather feel hopeful and limitless instead?
• What about on a community, national, or even global level? How do you want your outer world to feel?
• What would the world look like if the collective frequency was courageous, accepting, and loving?

Many people say they want to see peace on Earth in their lifetime. But they don’t understand that it needs to start on an individual level, within themselves. We all need to take responsibility and raise our own vibration to then affect the whole.

Luckily, because of the faster, more expansive nature of higher vibrational frequencies, it doesn’t take a lot of people at this level to make big shifts in the collective.

How Do You Raise Your Vibrational Frequency?

There’s much you can do to lift yourself up out of a lower vibrational state. These steps below can increase the quality of your life and contribute to a more peaceful world.

1. Make the intention to lift your consciousness

This is a challenging first step. Most people who live in fear, who blame others for their circumstances, have no concept of what it’s like to be any different. They think that people who speak of positivity about peace and love – are delusional and not living in reality. It’s actually true that there is a divide in reality between these people and ranges of frequency! Their lives and outlooks are completely different.

What’s unique though, is that people who have achieved higher frequencies have an easier time relating to those who are vibrating lower because they have experienced it before. And they are making the intentional choice over and over again to continue to evolve so that they spend more time in a higher vibrational state. They recognize that they’re doing this not only for themselves, but for the benefit of all beings.

2. Be grateful for everything in your life

Expressing gratitude for your life every morning can set you up for having a more pleasant day ahead. It will start you off in a higher vibrational state where it’s easier to fluctuate from instead of starting low and trying to rise up throughout the day.

Gratitude helps us see that every human experience and all the emotions we feel are completely acceptable. There are lessons from challenging experiences. There are huge growth and healing possibilities from trauma. We don’t necessarily want to welcome them into our lives. Chances are these challenging experiences happen when we’re vibrating lower (like attracts like). But these experiences if looked at mindfully, can show us that there is room to grow.

3. Meditate

Mindfulness meditation teaches us to watch how the mind creates our reality. We can see how our intentions, thoughts, feelings, and our actions are responsible for what is showing up in our lives. And to make it different, we need to change the way we relate to ourselves and others.

A regular meditation practice will help us experience mindfulness in everyday situations. And with time, we have less fluctuation in our vibrational frequency when the mind is constantly checking our experience.

4. Remove yourself from lower vibration situations and relationships

Eventually, you’ll have insight about how your relationships with others is affecting you. Especially if you’re meditating, you’ll start feeling the divide between your reality and others. If you’re not able to continue your pursuit of positivity, especially if your friends and family are trying to keep you on their level and are being mean about it, then it’s best you create some distance.

“If you’re not helping me evolve, you’re a distraction.” Ralph Smart, Infinite Waters

https://ralphsmart.com/

This goes for our work, school, and recreational environments. If they’re not supportive of your growth, then why are you supporting them?

We might mistake this for compassion, but if you really take a close look you may be caught up in the vibration of fear. Are you afraid that no one else will love and accept you? I would bet that is absolutely not the case, which brings me to the next step…

5. Hang out with high vibe people who inspire you

Finding friends and mentors who inspire you to develop yourself and grow are the best people to hang around, in my opinion. They’ll support you on your journey, continue to inspire you to greatness, and remind you of what is possible.

It’s not usual for these people to initially trigger us. If we’re caught up in a lower vibrational state where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, as I mentioned in the beginning, it may seem like they’re not relatable to us. But as we continue to develop, it’s interesting to see how they become our best teachers and friends.

6. Clear blocked centers with energy medicine

In order to speed up the process of raising your vibration, it’s helpful to work with Acupuncturists, Qigong practitioners, Reiki masters, Light workers, or Shamanic practitioners to clear your energy field and heal trauma. You can find a practitioner in your area to see in person, but much of the energy work can be done through distance healing sessions since energy has no boundaries. I do a combination of all of these modalities in my distance sessions. The process is essentially to unblock trapped energy which shows up as intense emotions & physical pain, tonify weak energy, and regulate to distribute the energy evenly. Energy healing is truly transformational since we’re working with the root of imbalances. I love incorporating into my holistic health coaching work too since it can be a strong foundation for any personal development.

7. Nourish your body with higher frequency foods and plant medicine

Everything we take in with our senses affects our vibrational frequency. One aspect of health that’s easier to control is which foods we choose to consume and the other ways that we nourish the body to heal. Processed foods, conventional produce laced with herbicides & pesticides, low quality animal products, sugar, alcohol, and greasy fried foods are all considered low vibration since they can lower your quality of health. When we eat crap, we generally feel like crap, right? That’s because of the energy we’re consuming that is becoming part of us.

Organic, fresh, local fruits and vegetables vibrate higher, so it’s better for everyone to add more of these foods into our diets. Of course we don’t need to be super strict about this! Just like the emotional state of being that we’re trying to stay in, we can to eat these higher vibration foods most of the time. They should make up the greater part of your diet to achieve the highest degree of wellness.

How foods are prepared is important too. What’s the environment they’re made in? What’s the emotional vibration that meals are cooked in?

This also holds true for how we care for our bodies when we’re ill too. Are we taking medicine that is unrecognizable to the body, far removed from nature, which was made with the intention to help you ignore your body’s natural signals? Or is it natural medicine that’s familiar to your body, that’s made with the intention to heal you on all levels? This is something to ponder.

Essential oils are know for being extremely high vibe (rose & spruce are the highest). This is not only because of plants reverent nature in the world, but also because they’re highly concentrated. A little goes a long way to help you heal, and the aroma uplifts your mood as you’re using them.

8. Spend time in nature

You know I’m always preaching this, because it’s so healing. We must spend more time in nature. Being among the trees and with other animals can lift us up into higher vibrational states. But to stay lifted, we must reflect on our relationship with nature and constantly remind ourselves that it’s symbiotic. We are a microcosm of nature too. When we align with it, we are healthy on all levels.

I hope this concept of raising your vibration is more clear now! And I hope it’s inspired you to make some positive changes in your life. Please comment below if you’d like to share your experience of energy vibration. And feel free to reach out to me if you’d like my personal help!

Well wishes…

Are you caught in a cycle of unwellness? Are you constantly getting sick, unable to achieve optimum health, or have a chronic issue that’s keeping you down? Or is the unwellness more mental and emotional? Are you replaying dysfunctional stories, ending up in the same toxic relationships, unable to achieve success, or feel like you’re plagued with “bad luck”? Sometimes challenges to our body, heart, and mind occur over and over to get our attention. Let’s talk about how to stop the cycle of unwellness and truly heal.

Recognition Before You Can Heal

Of course the first step to stopping the cycle of unwellness is to realize that you’re not well! What you’re dealing with is not normal, just because it feels normal (you got used to it) or you see others with the same issue. You also need to acknowledge that healing is possible. Until you have that awareness, you might be saying things like:

“I was born this way”

“It’s my genetics”

“I just have bad luck”

“All the good ones are taken”

“There’s no cure for this; I just need to manage it”

“There’s something special about THEM and that’s why they have success and I don’t”

You might believe that things just happen to you and that you have no control. You may even have an underlying belief that you deserve to be unwell and unhappy! All of these examples are going to cloud your ability to understand your situation completely and know that you can heal.

It took me a long time to realize my chronic sinus and urinary tract infections were a problem I needed to deal with. Once I was aware, I was eager to make changes to improve my health. (And I was very successful in stopping those cycles for good – I haven’t had an infection in over 15 years!)

By the time I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition years later, I was already primed to know that I didn’t need to accept this. My doctor presented my condition and medication plan as a life sentence. But having the experience of healing so many other areas of my holistic health, I knew it was possible with this too! I found stories from other people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who were able to bring it into remission. I now have my situation under control, for the most part!

Partner With Healing Coaches & Practitioners

Though I love teaching all about self awareness and reliance, as I mentioned above, it can hard for us to see our situation objectively when we’re in the middle of it. It’s wise to partner with a health coach, energy worker, therapist, acupuncturist, or other practitioner who fits the need of the condition you’re trying to heal. They can create a safe space for you to explore self growth and healing.

When I was having one dysfunctional relationship after another, some loving friends suggested that I see a therapist to help me. Not only did this therapist help me break out of the cycle of bad relationships. But in that 5 year period, she also helped me:

• make life changing decisions to study TCM
• leave my biotech job
• build a functional relationship with my husband
• heal deep-seated family trauma
• support my mental/emotional health when pregnant & post-partum
• and so much more!

The time and money I spent on those therapy sessions were priceless.

She didn’t do the work to make shifts in my life – I did. But I needed her to support me as I moved through some very huge transformations. I needed to bounce ideas off of her. I needed her to assure me that I wasn’t crazy when I felt the world pushing back on me to remain the same when I wanted to bust out of all of it. And I needed her to tell me the truth when I was “the problem” and needed to change my outlook on life and my actions.

Of course how much the practitioner or coach does with you hands-on is dependent on the scope of their practice. But I feel like more work is done when practitioners have a hands-off approach and work through your emotional and mindset issues that may be at the root of your problems.

Be Open To Constructive Criticism And Reflection

If you’re receiving help to break your cycle of unwellness and heal, it’s important to stay open to criticism and be willing to change. As I mentioned before, that was one of the major roles of my therapist in our time together. And as an Acupuncturist and a Health Coach, I make sure that my clients understand that this is my role too – to reflect back how they’re caring for themselves and what their energy is that they’re putting out into the world. Sometimes that process doesn’t feel good, but it’s necessary.

This story will help illustrate what I mean:

A friend went to an acupuncturist for fertility treatments. The acupuncturist told her that she was “too intense” and that she needed to make major changes in her lifestyle & attitude to increase her chances of conceiving a baby naturally. The client left feeling really upset. She said the acupuncturist was too harsh on her. She wanted my opinion on whether she should keep seeing this acupuncturist or to find someone else.

I told her first that the #1 thing that’s important in a healing relationship with a practitioner is that she feels safe to share what’s on her heart and that the practitioner really cares about her. If there’s no rapport, then find someone else.

However…

In this situation I felt like the biggest problem was that the client was not open to criticism. As a practitioner myself, I don’t think the practitioner was harsh at all. I would have said the same thing if I felt her lifestyle habits were making it challenging to conceive!

That’s a super important point for people to realize when they’re breaking out of an unwellness cycle.

• Doing what you’re doing now is not working.
• You need to try a new approach or change something in your life that’s keeping you from being well.
• The practitioner is trying to help you with that!
• If you can’t see that, then it just feels like you’re being blamed and the practitioner is being mean.
• You need to take responsibility for how your life has unfolded and get out of a victim mentality if you’re to have any hope in healing.

In Conclusion

This information I’m sharing is not going to land well with everyone. And not everyone is ready to heal. There needs to be some self-motivation and a willingness to look at the situation honestly & then change.

If you have that inner drive to break out of your unwellness cycle, I hope this helps you move forward! Comment below if you have any questions, or want to share parts of your wellness journey. And if you need my personal help, know that I can work with you 1:1 with Holistic Health Coaching to really move the dial in your life!

Well wishes to you friend…

I came across a thread in an Acupuncture Community forum a few weeks ago that inspired this week’s blog post. The author was complaining that Massage Therapists who practice Reiki are making their profession seem “like a joke”. The author asked that we Acupuncturists stop talking about or doing energy work. He said we seem less professional when we include energy-work.

Eeek.

This was confronting & confusing, because the practice of Acupuncture is based on vital energy!

It took a lot of strength to not argue with the author (as many in the community were doing). I chose instead to write this article to educate about energy-based medicine in general. These energetic modalities can help people in ways that physical-based biomedicine cannot. I feel that it’s important people know enough to avoid making sweeping judgements against them.

Energy is the Basis of Eastern Medicine

Vital energy is called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With Yoga, it’s “Prana”, which is linked with the breath. In Reiki, it’s called “Ki”. In Star Wars they refer to it as “The Force”!

All of these modalities have Shamanic roots that address healing on physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual levels. The energy is one in the same. It’s what animates us and everything around us. Practitioners harness the energy differently, depending on the modality.

Energy Work With Yoga

Mobilizing Prana with the breath is central to a Hatha Yoga practice. With Pranayama , Prana and breath are controlled directly. It’s a more advanced practice. Pranayama extends one’s life as you slow down the breath and expand the capacity for Prana within ourselves.

TCM, Qigong & Reiki Energy Healing

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we balance Qi with tangible methodologies like acupuncture, herbs, massage, and/or nutrition. But Qigong can be used as well, which is an invisible art. Practitioners are able to build up their own Qi with a personal practice. They can also channel energy from the Earth and Heavens and project to a patient to adjust their Qi too. Reiki is very similar to Qigong, with origins in Japan.

Shamanic Roots Of Energy Work

Shamanism is the first healing practice in existence, > 30,000 years old! Though Shamanism is performed in numerous cultures, each with their own unique rituals, journey-work is present in all of them. Journeys are done to gain information about one’s health & life path. They’re also the place where we practitioners do deep healing in the world and with people’s souls. Shamanic practices seem very different from the modalities mentioned above. However, the common aspect is that we can also extract unhelpful energy while infusing healing light for people and communities in need.

There are many more energy modalities, but these are the ones I practice and teach. I’m relying on them more and more to really get to the root of issues. Energetic disturbances are linked with physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma – or unhelpful habitual patterns. 

What Beliefs Make People Skeptical Of Energy Medicine And How Does One Overcome Them?

Here in the West, there is a great deal of skepticism when it comes to alternative medicine. But this is especially true when it comes to energy healing. Just like the person I mentioned at the beginning of the article here, many people don’t take energy seriously. Or they may claim it doesn’t exist. This is really too bad, since I believe energy medicine is the only way to resolve many of the issues we’re dealing with today. And this is why I believe it’s the medicine of the future.

You’ll appreciate reading on if you’re intrigued about energy medicine, but need to know more before trying it. If you find yourself holding one of these beliefs, try the suggestions I make to move beyond them. I did it and you can too!

These are the common reasons why people don’t understand and appreciate energy medicine…

1. If They Don’t See Energy, They Don’t Believe In It

Energy is hard for people to conceptualize because it’s not tangible. Some of us have trained eyes that can see where there’s energy in one’s body and where there is not. But the majority of people can’t see bodies this way.

So it’s perfectly natural for people to be skeptical of this invisible substance if they can’t tell if it’s working. They don’t want to be taken advantage of.

But there is a way to know that it’s happening. When you become more sensitive, you can feel energy moving through the body. And when you stick to regular treatments, you’ll also see that your symptoms lesson or get completely better.

If you have this belief too, you may want to do self-cultivation practices and work on self-healing before working with a practitioner who projects energy to you. You can do Qigong exercises, Tai chi, or practicing yoga while mindful of feeling energy moving through the body.  If you don’t have someone local in your area to practice with, consider my Yoga & Self Healing Practices course. I teach about Qigong and Yogic energy practices in depth for healing on every level.

A lot of this sensitivity work uses your imagination to move energy and as you open up the mind,  you open up the whole body to feel.  I have a very simple exercise you can try in this video to develop greater sensitivity.

2. They Don’t Believe Energy Medicine Is Powerful Enough (Too Gentle)

Sometimes people believe in energy medicine, but they don’t think Qigong & Reiki are as powerful as more tangible forms, like acupuncture & massage.  I used to believe this too! 

When I first started doing massage in 2000, I did exchanges with a friend who would give me Reiki.  I didn’t think it was an equal trade. While the Reiki was relaxing, it wasn’t as sensually pleasing as massage.

One time when I was receiving a Reiki session, I felt a tickling sensation down at the base of my tailbone. But when I opened my eyes, my friend wasn’t even in the room! I asked her about this when she came back in. She said she kept working on me as she tended to her dog who was needing attention.

I left shortly after since I felt my intestines moving. I completely evacuated my bowels when I got home. (I was obviously constipated. I was very out-of-touch with my body back then and didn’t pay attention to regularity.) Anyway, it had a very powerful affect on my physical body! I realized in that moment that my friend was truly a Master. And I’ve never doubted the power of energy medicine since.

3. Thinking Only In-Person Energy Medicine Will Work

Another misconception is that only in-person energy sessions will work, just like other in-person modalities. So people dismiss distance energy work since they can’t imagine how it’s possible. However, there are no solid boundaries with energy. It can regulated with intention alone, like I mentioned when my friend was doing it on me from the next room. 

Again, it may be helpful to work on your own personal sensitivity to Qi through self-cultivation practices first. Or, you can experience group healings first which are usually less expensive, or sometimes free. It doesn’t matter how you get there! Just to find a way to open up your mind to greater possibilities and become more trusting. Then you can experience powerful distance healing from whichever practitioner you want around the world!

4. They Believe Energy Medicine Is “Magic” And “Evil”

Fear is the biggest reason people reject energy medicine. They’re afraid of it’s formless nature.  Or their scared because it’s like magic. They’re afraid it can harm them.

These beliefs usually stem from negative programming, usually with religion. And therefore there’s nothing I can say that will help you accept it more. I will mention – my life has only improved since I’ve been receiving and giving energy medicine to others.

Perhaps one day you’ll change your mind! Just make sure that you find a practitioner who you feel completely safe with. That’s all you need – a loving practitioner and an open, receptive mind, body, and spirit. Energy healing can only help move you toward balance, so it’s worth a try.

I hope this has been great food for thought! I’m curious to know if you’ve had energy work before, and how it worked for you. Please leave a comment below! And if you’re wanting my personal help with energy work, feel free to contact me. Well wishes!

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Do you feel betrayed by your body? Has an injury, trauma, chronic illness, or cancer scare left you feeling confused about how to take care of yourself and what your body can handle? Let’s talk about how to regain trust and begin to heal holistically, on all levels.

Did Your Body Fail You?

Many people have had experiences that threatened their belief in their body’s ability to stay strong and heal. I started thinking about this a few months ago when someone close to me was polling her friends on Facebook, asking them whether she should get the Covid-19 vaccine or not.

Instead of giving her this advice, I asked her why she wants her friends to tell her what to do. She answered that she’s had a few experiences that have left her unable to trust her body: 2 emergency C-sections and also has chronic asthma. She doesn’t understand how this all came to be and so needs a lot of help making medical decisions.

I had an emergency c-section too, which was fairly traumatic. Afterwards, I felt like a failure and was paranoid about building up my baby’s gut flora and immunity, knowing that a vaginal birth is what establishes it. I didn’t understand how I could be strong & flexible with Yoga, but not be able to birth a child. But there were many things that were in my power afterwards that helped me heal my body, heart, and mind around this experience.

How To Befriend Your Body Again

Have you had a similar experience like this too, where your body disappointed you? Did it lead you to stay in your power as you got help to heal? Or did it leave you feeling lost and confused about whether you could ever trust it again? If it’s the latter, I have a few steps you can consider (this is what I did!) to strengthen your relationship with your body so you can continue to make empowered decisions for yourself.

1. Accept That Your Body Needed Extra Support

First, it’s important that you accept what happened to your body. It’s likely that at the time, it wasn’t in your control. Or you may never really know exactly why it happened.

I was hard on myself initially when I had my C-section until someone reminded me that another being was involved who has his own karma. Perhaps my son really needed this birth. Or maybe he just needed more time, but our circumstances wouldn’t allow for that. These things were not in my control and it stopped my obsessive thinking about it.

2. Take Responsibility For Your Body’s Condition

On the flip-side though, there MAY a reason for what happened that you still need to work on. For example, if it’s being around a lot of toxic chemicals that may have caused cancer, or poor gut health that led to a chronic disease; your lifestyle does need to change in order to prevent another occurrence and to help your body heal. Your body may be desperately trying to communicate with you. Sometimes illness, injuries, and disease needs to happen for us to finally listen! Maybe it’s a wake up call to attend to your health better.

Going back to my birth experience, there were clues telling me that my hips may be misaligned which may have affected my son’s position and ability to descend. Even though I’ll never really know what happened, I’m now clued into the fact that my body is limited in this region and attending to it is helping to reduce back pain, digestion issues, and other things I have been experiencing. So I’m very thankful that I finally listened to my body’s message that it was off balance!

3. Recognize The Importance Of Your Wellness Journey

When we can accept the situation and take responsibility for it at the same time, we step into a powerful, aware state that can help you heal on a much deeper level. Recognize that this is the beginning of a wellness journey for you, and that there may be many layers to it.

4. Get Help To Befriend And Heal Your Body, Heart, Mind, and Spirit

The final step here would be to actually get the support you need to heal. Who you go to for help depends on the situation you’re dealing with, of course. Maybe you need a medical doctor or psychiatrist if it’s serious. For most situations, its most empowering to avoid drugs, so to seek a more natural or therapeutic approach. I recommend choosing a practitioner who gives advice while respecting your ability to make informed, independent decisions for yourself.

If you’re interested in working with me closer, I love helping women (especially moms) resolve stress, anxiety, and trauma with holistic wellness coaching and empowerment. I pull from many eastern healing traditions and can offer you energy medicine, yoga & meditation, natural health education, and intuitive guidance to help you find inner harmony again. Reach out to me if you have any questions!

In Conclusion

Hopefully this information reassures you that it’s possible to relate to your body well again in a more deep and meaningful way, and that you can fully heal. I would love to hear if this help you!

Let me know about it, and ask any questions, in the comments below. Well wishes!

There’s an epidemic happening right now that I feel needs to be talked about since it’s continuing to grow: Spiritual poverty.  Why is lack of spirituality bad? How do you rise up out of it? Here’s my thoughts about why you need to take care of your spiritual health right now.  I really believe everyone will benefit from this, especially if the words spirituality and religion leave a bad taste in your mouth.  

Recorded Live in my Falcon Healing Arts Holistic Lifestyle Community on Facebook.

What Does Spirituality Have To Do With Health?

We tend to forget in the natural health field, the word “holistic” means whole. It refers to the different layers of being: body, breath/energy, emotions, mind, and spirit/soul. It means that you’re acknowledging every aspect of life, the obvious and the mystical, the tangible and intangible, with equal importance.

With this larger experience of life comes an appreciation of death as well, where one can regard it without fear. There is comfort knowing that your spirit lives on to some degree (details depending on your belief system). And this constant reminder of how precious and temporary our physical life is here on this planet reinforces how passionately we live.

Does it feel like people are living passionately these days?

No, it doesn’t look like it to me. On the contrary, many people seem to be terrified of both dying and living.

The Coronavirus pandemic has been a big test of people’s faith and belief systems. While we’re seeing a lack in spiritual faith, there’s an increased faith in human ingenuity. People are looking to intellectuals, scientists, politicians, and doctors to help them make life decisions instead of trusting in themselves and their connection with nature and spirit. And as a result, they’re ruled by anxiety and self-doubt. This, of course, is very damaging to one’s emotional, mental, and physical health (it’s all related!).

Why is lack of spirituality in our communities a problem?

I first started pondering this last week, when I realized I hadn’t been doing one of my favorite spiritual practices. It was sad to me that I had let go of this mantra meditation with my mala beads. Was I just too busy to do it? Or, is it because I’m uncomfortable bringing it into my teaching practice? I know that not many of my students are interested in spiritual health – maybe fear of offering them more is holding me back to a degree.

This was very concerning since I actually find chanting and mantra repetition very valuable! And yet I was unconsciously letting it go and in doing so, losing an important aspect of myself.

The biggest consequence of spiritual disconnection is the loss of self guidance and security.

When you’re not connected to your inner knowing, guided by your soul & spirit, then you are vulnerable to being taken advantage of. The divisive techniques (by politicians, the media, and certain educational institutions) are only working on those who don’t really know themselves. They let these agencies bribe, coerce, and threaten them because they’re so dependent. But this seems to be more comfortable than spiritual and personal development.

Connection to spirit can help you see the problem and move beyond it to continue to evolve. Enlightenment is worth the effort find it! There’s no way I would have been able to see the little snag I’m in right now with my spiritual practice if I didn’t already have a strong connected root to it.

How Do You Reconnect With Your Soul And Develop Spiritual Health?

The sticky history of many religions forcing their beliefs on people has brewed a sense of distrust in spirituality. It requires a lot of maturity to look beyond that to the essence of religions and the bigger message they’re trying to teach. Still, you don’t need to go to church and adopt the practices of a certain religion to reconnect with your soul!

I have a very deep spiritual life even though I don’t have a particular religion. I chant Hindu mantras, practice Buddhist meditation, talk to Jesus in my Shamanic journeys, appreciate channeled messages from the spiritual community, and celebrate Pagan seasonal ceremonies.

Whatever way we make sense of the world through our spirit body should be developed. What you do and how you do it is completely up to you!

Here’s some ideas you can explore:

• go deeper with the essence of your religion
• explore other religious practices
• read ancient spiritual texts
• engage in spiritual practices like chanting, prayer, and meditation
• being open to spiritual guidance with mindfulness practices like Yoga & Qigong
• sitting with your “higher self” or evolved consciousness
• heal your “inner child” with meditation and journaling
• spend more time in nature, which is a wonderful way to see what your place is in the world
• write down your dreams and explore their meanings
• listen to and develop your intuition

Let me know if you have questions about anything from this list. I could go deeper with future posts and videos. If you love the idea of personal and spiritual development, then check out my course Yoga and Self-Healing Practices for Holistic Health.

I personally believe that we are all eternal spirits having a physical experience. So, I really hope that this post helps you to connect with your authentic, soulful self. Many blessings to you friend…

Owning and wielding your personal power is a very important part of human emotional and spiritual development.  And yet many people don’t realize that they are lacking a true connection with this inner strength which can help them traverse life’s challenges more smoothly. 

Do you need to power up in your life?  Read on to learn why it’s important to embrace your power and some tips as to how you can harness it. And watch the video below where I share some personal experiences of when I’ve had to power up.

What is personal power?

Personal power is that force inside of you that allows you live with freedom and confidence.

It is not violent, as some people equate the word “power” with. It’s not a force that you hold over other people. This power is all good, and when fully embraced, can help you with healthy boundaries and solid connections.

Even though we often say that our inner power needs to be built up or developed, it’s more precise to say that needs to be revealed and wielded. This is because personal power is within each and every person. This innate energy is connected to our spirit, our will, and to our motivation for following our dreams.

When someone has issues connecting to their personal power, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have enough of it. It means that something is preventing them from seeing that they have it and using it. In a sense, they have consciously or unconsciously given this power away.

Signs That You Are Disconnected From Your Power

Like many aspects of the self, it’s often easier to notice when you’re disconnected from your power than when you’re fully embracing it.

This negative feedback is really helpful in recognizing that there is room for you to grow! So don’t feel bad if you find yourself caught in these patterns that indicate you’re not in your power:

• Always deferring to “experts” to guide what you think, say, and do
• Being afraid to share information with people that you think will help them because you’ll be criticized or judged
• Avoiding new things because you’re afraid of looking out of place
• Dissatisfaction with how life is unfolding in the moment (life is happening to you, not for you)
• Fear from holding beliefs that are outside the accepted norm (in politics, work organizations, society in general)
• Seeking approval from others, especially if you’re pretending to act a certain way to gain it
• You allow people to talk down to you when you feel they’re smarter, have more experience than you, etc.
• Complaining about how people treat you (as a victim)
• Having a hard time accepting someone else’s success or free ways of being (crabs in a bucket mentality)
• Projecting shame and blame on other people as you judge their choices

There are certainly more examples. Anytime you are fixated on someone else’s issues, or living under the influence of ideas that are not your own, you are not fully in your power.

How do you get your personal power back?

Remember that your power is always present, just may not be valued or used fully. So there’s little work in building it up.

Instead, you need to break the bonds that are making you feel incapable of standing in your power, and find you dependent on others.

Tips for Powering Up Your Life

• Know what you value
• Focus on what you can control
• Stop hanging out with people who make you feel bad
• Hang out with powerful people
• Stand up for yourself
• Speak your truth
• Journaling and mirror work
• Mindful Yoga & meditation

I go into detail about each of these points in the video at the top or here and share some of my slightly embarrassing personal examples!

If you want to dive deeper with me on how to work within your power, consider joining me on the Full Moon January 28, 2021. We’ll be focusing on personal power through mindful movement, meditation, journaling, and ritual to help you along this transformation path. So if you’re reading this before then, please consider signing up here!

Living fully in your power is a process.

It’s not going to happen immediately as soon as you bring your mind to it, but make take some time to build courage and feel comfortable being uncomfortable.

It is well worth the effort once you realize that you are no longer under the influence of other people’s ideas. You’ll walk through life feeling confident to make your own choices, not caring what people think of you. I did it for myself, so I know it’s possible for you too.

I hope you have more insight as to how you can be living in your power. Please let me know about it in the comments below!

Modern Yoga is changing, as you may be noticing during these pandemic times. I’m reluctant to claim any “new normal” is on the horizon. However, I will say that the changes I’m seeing in the Yoga world are positive and actually moving us closer to the main aim of Yoga. Read on to learn my predictions about the future of Yoga, and how I believe Yoga instruction is changing for the better if we’re willing to adapt.

The 3 Ways Yoga Is Changing For the Better

Yoga in the U.S. has been quite different from the practice that was popularized in India and other parts of the East. And it’s changed even more over the last 20 years I’ve been teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, and not for the better in my opinion.

Yoga was once embraced for it’s life changing benefits and the passing down of wisdom from ancient traditions. Here in the U.S. it was reduced down to:

• strengthening and stretching the body to music
• a way to temporarily relax in between stressful activities
• a lifestyle where we get to wear comfortable, fashionable clothes
• a trendy way to bring mind-body awareness to the community
• social time with friends

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE everything I just listed above.

I resigned long ago that this was enough to attract people to the practice. I let go of the need to try to teach everyone to the depth that I experienced as a student when I first started my Yoga journey. But I always tried to give them a taste of this depth to let them know that there was much, much more that could be experienced.

Now that we’re in these challenging times, we’re seeing another shift. Students and teachers who really value the practice are needing to make the following changes. Otherwise, Yoga will be of little help to them and they’ll most likely choose another form of exercise or vocation.

1. Prioritizing A Home Practice

When many of our states enforced a lockdown in March 2020, studios and teachers had no choice but to go online if they were to continue offering Yoga to their students. And if students wanted to continue practicing yoga, they were forced to create a practice space, to purchase their own props, and commit to doing the live or replay classes.

I had to pivot too. Even though it was stressful, I was pleased that students were needing to practice at home. A home practice is something I’m constantly promoting and that’s why I’ve written previous blog posts on the subject:

Should You Develop A Home Yoga Practice?

Resources to Guide Your Home Yoga Practice

The experience of Yoga becomes much more meaningful when you carve out time for it at home. You’re infusing your home with your personal intention. You’re modeling the commitment for your kids. The whole vibe of your home changes.

Once students see how easy it is to practice Yoga at home and experience greater depth, I believe many will start preferring it over studio classes.

We’ll see if I’m correct, but at least they’ll have the resolve to continue practicing Yoga in case their usual set up changes. (Unfortunately we are seeing many studios closing and teachers moving or quitting.)

Your home Yoga practice would not be affected by these external circumstances.

2. Moving Toward Private or Small Group Instruction

Even with studios and health centers now open, class size is limited (currently as I write they can only be open to 25% here in CA).

Though I’m really frustrated with the slow pace that gyms are reopening, I do think that small classes are lovely.

I long for my early yogini days when I’d meet my teacher and class at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment. We felt comfortable in this intimate community, sharing our life struggles as we related them to our Yoga practice. I remember having class the evening of 911 and we all processed the day’s event together.

Many people are desiring community right now. Small group classes could be very healing if students are allowed to participate in deeper discussions and if the teacher is sharing classical Yogic wisdom.

I see Yoga classes returning to what they once were for me. And with that, I imagine that students will have a better understanding of how Yoga can help them in life.

This brings me to the biggest change happening with Yoga…

3. Return to the Classical Tenants of Yoga for Personal Development

Modern Yoga only goes so far with instruction the mind-body connection. If one follows the tenants outlined in the Yoga Sutras by a skilled classical teacher and commits to not only the physical practice, but investigating the mind and heart, there is a huge opportunity for growth. In fact, one may awaken to a completely different way of thinking and living.

Everything we’re experiencing right now – from fear of disease & death to social & political unrest – can be resolved inside of you through the process of Yoga.

It’s possible to experience inner peace regardless of what’s happening outside of you. Believe me, I’m pretty happy right now even though I know the world outside is chaotic. I’m not blind to it. I just know how to co-exist with it.

If you want to deepen your Yoga practice for personal development or want to be an inspiring light for others, I recommend reading the books in my home yoga resource article.

Or let me lead you gradually through the layers of your being in my 6 week course Self Healing Practices for Holistic Health. We explore the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual layers in a very practical way, at your own pace, in this self-led program.

The majority of people in the world are lacking the insights of these teachings. Humanity will experience benevolence and peace if they are embraced and shared.

Yoga is going to be an important part of this new world we’re creating. Are you going to be living it and teaching it too?

My health mindset is what guides me when dealing with challenging issues for myself and my clients. However, the same mindset permeates into other areas of my life too. In this post (and the video below), I share with you the five aspects of this mindset and how it can help you take charge of your health and master it by the end of the year!

Also be sure to grab this free health mastery blueprint that will help you flesh out your own health mindset!

How to Take Charge of Your Health

I do not have perfect health (few people do), but I am healthier than many. What helps me stay well is a constant movement toward health mastery. The health challenges that I’ve overcome are what make me successful as a wellness practitioner too.

The major challenges that stick out as I reflect on them are my healing journeys around Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, emergency Cesarean birth, and my son’s eczema and gut health issue as a baby.

The following are aspects of my health mindset when working toward healing , which is the goal of any health challenge. As I introduce these, I’ll share how I applied them to putting my thyroid disease into remission.

1. Holistic View

In order to heal completely, it’s important to look at your situation with a holistic view. Holistic means that you’re embracing the physical, mental, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects that may be contributing to un-wellness. It also means that you’re looking at the situation from all angles.

I knew that there was much more to my Hashimoto’s diagnosis than what my doctor was telling me. I wanted to know the underlying cause and how my lifestyle might have contributed to the outcome, not just take medication for the rest of my life while my thyroid was quickly destroyed.

Branching out from this narrow Western view is what led me to approach healing from many different angles: whole food organic diet, detoxing, energetic clearing with acupuncture & essential oils, and meditation to manage my stress. Without this broach approach, healing may not have been possible.

2. Natural Approach and Support

I’ve come to realize over time that much of the health issues we deal with in this country are due to us being far removed from nature. We have unnatural sleep/work habits, and unnatural diet of franken-foods, we dope up on medications that are highly purified that the body has a hard time recognizing and processing.

Whenever I’ve taken a natural approach to health, things have fallen in place. I’m not just talking about using natural therapeutics, though they are also key. But even beyond that, I feel like I’ve always been offered the best wisdom from nature and practitioners who are aligned with it.

Of course this is what we learn in Traditional Chinese Medicine, that we’re microcosms of nature. So when I started this thyroid healing journey quickly after I starting TCM school, I was set up with both a natural approach, but also teachers who saw me as a whole person. All aspects of me were embraced as a patient. That, on top of the self love I was already experiencing, was deeply healing.

3. Take Responsibility as You Take Charge of Your Health

I know this is a tough one for people.

When you are unwell, or especially if you’re a parent of an unwell child, it is upsetting to think that something you did or did not do is contributing to the situation. But it is important to take responsibility for where you are now because that means that you also have the power to get yourself out of most health challenges.

When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I knew I had been burning the candle at both ends. I was extremely stressed out, my sleep was messed up, I lived on coffee, I was getting lots of sinus infections with rounds of antibiotics, my diet was not the best, and I worked around toxic chemicals in my lab.

There was no way I could just turn a blind eye to this disease and continue living as I had. I took responsibility and changed what I could. Those simple actions, built over time, are what helped me heal.

4. Adjust Expectations and Take Action

Quite often people delay their self healing work because it doesn’t seem like the right time, or they feel they don’t have enough money or resources. Truly, there is no perfect time and if you really want to heal, you shouldn’t delay. Our time here on this planet is uncertain, so everyday is precious! Embrace life and work toward wellness now!

It’s really important that you have realistic expectations. Be open to stalled progress. Be open to pleasant surprises like the perfect blood work I eventually received after years of lifestyle changes. Just keep moving forward.

Trust that your body is constantly working toward balance and want you to survive and works in it’s own timing.

5. Prioritize and Focus on Your Health and Healing

If it’s really important for you to manage your health issue, you will prioritize the work needed to do so. You’ll also

I started working to heal my thyroid immediately. It was so important to me, that I didn’t care how long it would take or if it would even work at all. I just had to do whatever I could, not just for myself, but as a wellness practitioner I wanted to understand this disease for others too.

This drive for health mastery is what has made me stick to a gluten free diet for 6 years, to put filters on our water supply, and to remove our home of toxic products. So prioritizing and focusing on your health also means to remove the things that are distracting you or keeping you from healing completely.

I hope my health mindset is giving you something to think about if you’re wanting to commit to mastering your health. It has worked for me and my clients time and time again, so I know it can help you too.

If you need more help, get my Health Mastery Blueprint below which has prompts that can help you flesh out what needs to be done to promote self-healing. Please let me know how it works out for you and if there’s anything you’d change. You can share in the comments below.

Well wishes!

If you like this blueprint, then you’ll love my new 6 week course I’m offering: Yoga and Self Healing Practices for Holistic Health. I’ll teach you traditional healing practices that are both practical and deep.